The Top 100 Cited Research Antibodies: 2026 Analysis
5
Min Read
In this blog:
- 13 different antibody companies feature in the Top 100 Report
- Immune cell markers and AKT pathway antibodies were highly referenced in the literature
- Download the Top 100 Cited Antibodies for your own analysis and to see if you rank!
CiteAb collects information on product use in the scientific literature, curating an industry-leading life science reagent database that powers data services for suppliers & pharma companies, and a search platform to help scientists find the right products, faster.
Welcome to CiteAb’s Top 100 series for 2026!
Each year, our Top 100 Reports pull on the past year’s worth of citation data to show which products are most used in the scientific literature, and the suppliers behind them.
These reports uncover the companies and products supporting a significant amount of research, whether that’s well-established lab staples or more specialist, fast-adopted products. They also dig into the product-level trends within the data, to give insights into what researchers are reaching for.
Data & Methodology
Using our patent-protected text mining tech, we have collected information on over 10 million research antibodies – covering monoclonals, polyclonals and recombinants – from nearly 400 suppliers.
We specifically focus on citation counts: a measure of how frequently a product appears in peer-reviewed, published research. This data helps researchers see what their peers are reaching for, and gives suppliers a leading indicator of future demand as well as insight into past research activity.
The analysis in this blog draws from a year’s worth of publication data, across all suppliers and all antibody types, ranking products by citation count.
Inclusion in this report reflects citation volume, rather than any qualitative assessment of the products – for individual researchers looking for the right antibody for their specific use case we recommend considering multiple factors, as outlined in our guide on how to find an antibody.
The Antibody Suppliers Supporting a Significant Volume of Research
Overall, we saw 13 different antibody suppliers featured in the Top 100 Cited Product list, one more than in last year’s analysis. This shows that the market remains competitive, moving to meet evolving research needs.
Leading with the most products in the Top 100 were Cell Signaling Technology, this year with 31 research antibodies ranking.
Joining them in the top 3, by count of antibodies ranking, were Invitrogen Antibodies and Abcam.
Companies that our analysis flagged as ones to watch in the Top 100 list beyond these players included:
- Proteintech. They added a new product to the Top 100 this year and displayed standout citation growth across several existing ranking products – both inside the list and just beyond the Top 100.
- ABclonal. Flagged as a supplier to watch in last year’s analysis, they backed that up with both of their ranking antibodies in the Top 100 moving higher up the list.
- FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics and ServiceBio are two new names in the Top 100 rankings.
The Top Cited Research Antibodies
Secondary antibodies and Loading controls feature prevalently in the Top 100
Cell Signaling Technology’s Anti-rabbit IgG, HRP-linked antibody holds the number 1 spot again this year in the Top 100 rankings.
This is perhaps unsurprising given the top of this list is anchored by fundamental tools many labs depend on, such as secondary antibodies.
Secondary antibodies make up roughly 40% of the full Top 100, and loading controls from a wide range of suppliers remain a steady presence.
However, stable representation from these product types doesn’t mean static. We saw Proteintech’s HRP-conjugated Goat Anti-Rabbit IgG(H+L) break into the top 10 this year, and ServiceBio entered the Top 100 for the first time with an HRP-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG.
This goes to show that the market is still moving even when it comes to research staples.
Recombinants and monoclonals retain a steady share at the top of the market
Looking at the breakdown of the Top 100, we found that around 40% of the list were monoclonal antibodies and around a quarter were recombinants. This remains relatively consistent with last year’s split.
When we drilled down to the primary antibodies in the list, nearly 70% were monoclonal, and 38% recombinant.
Recombinant and monoclonal antibodies’ sustained presence in the top 100 is good news for reproducibility. These products should offer researchers reduced batch to batch variability compared to polyclonal antibodies, and a number of other benefits which we explored over on our monoclonal vs polyclonal vs recombinant antibody guide.
Cell signalling and immunology targets are well cited
Zoning in now to primary antibody targets, we noticed a number of trends:
- Cell signalling pathways have strong coverage
In our analysis, we noticed deeper Akt/mTOR pathway coverage. An antibody for mTOR (7C19) from Cell Signaling Technology entered the list, alongside a number of products that have featured before such as Phospho-Akt and Akt. Antibodies against other signalling pathways such as the ERK pathway also ranked highly.
- Expansion of immunology targets in the Top 100
CD4 and TIM3 antibodies, both supplied by Invitrogen Antibodies and widely used in flow cytometry and immunology research, are new entries this year. Meanwhile, targets such as Iba1 (linked to neuroinflammation) also broke into the list for the first time, from FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc.
Rising Antibodies to Watch
Looking beyond the Top 100 Cited Research Antibody rankings, we noted a few products that could enter the Top 100 in the future if they continue with their current trajectories:
- Proteintech’s DYKDDDDK tag Polyclonal antibody (Binds to FLAG® tag epitope) (20543-1-AP) rose from 350th in 2024 to 135 in 2025
- Bio-X-Cell’s InVivoMAb anti-mouse PD-1 (CD279) (BE0146) rose 50 places from 173rd to 123rd
Looking for product target trends beyond the top 100? Reach out to the team here.
Wrap-up and Data Download
For teams looking to harness this data to better support researchers, you can download the complete list below.
Analysis around targets, product types and gaps can provide invaluable insight to inform business decisions for product teams. Plus, see if your company ranks!
Dr Andrew Chalmers, CEO of CiteAb, commented on the analysis:
“The Top 100 list showcases the products and suppliers supporting a significant amount of research. It was fantastic to see even more vendors breaking into the Top 100 report this year, demonstrating how dynamic the space is and the commitment to providing tools scientists reach for. From research staples like loading controls and secondary antibodies to the signalling and immunology targets rising through the ranks, we’ll keep tracking how researchers’ choices change over time.”
Don’t forget, you can dig into more Top 100 Reports by following one of the links below:
- Top 100 Research Protein Report
- Top 100 Bioactive Small Molecules Report
- Top 100 Life Science Kits & Assays Report
- Top 100 Cell Lines Report
- Top 100 Life Science Instruments Report
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FAQs
We make the Top 100 Cited Antibody List by analysing our database, which covers reagent use in life science publications. We rank antibody reagents by citation share in publications over the past year to compile the final list.
We release a Top 100 Antibody analysis every year. You can find the 2025 Top 100 Cited Antibody Analysis here.
Sales data is generated internally for each company, whereas citation data covers the entire market of over 10 million research antibodies. Because scientists will use citations to help choose reagents, citations also provide a leading indicator for future purchasing decisions.
Citation data provides actionable insight into how scientists are using products. This enables product management teams to stay one step ahead and better address researcher need when developing pipelines or managing catalogues; and it gives granular targeting and trend insights for product campaigns.
